Frankfurt, Germany  - Franz Simon, a senior citizen from Frankfurt, enjoys using his local playground every day.

When going for a stroll, the 80-year-old likes to use a foot rocker in a forest playground for children and elderly people that has been a public amenity since 2007.

"I immediately fell in love with the foot rocker because old and young people can use it together," said Simon of the "cross generational exercise machine."

Hamburg  - New Year's Eve fireworks attract people of all ages into the streets to ring in the coming year with colourful fountains of fire, glittering, noisy displays and loud bangs.

However, the festive spirit turns dangerous every year when many a firecracker explodes too close to someone in the crowd. Burns, eye injuries and trauma caused by the blasts are among the most common outcomes. But some of these accidents can be avoided.

"Despite all the instructions and warnings, firecrackers are consistently handled wrongly or carelessly. Typically, alcohol and the heightened mood of the evening are contributing factors," said Klaus Gotzen, director of a German association representing the pyrotechnic industry.

Hamburg  - Millions of Germans will settle down in front of their TV sets on New Year's Eve for what has become an annual ritual - the airing of an ancient British comedy sketch starring a long-dead, music-hall comedian.

This year is the 45th anniversary of the broadcast which has become as much a part of New Year's Eve for Germans as singing "Auld Lang Syne" is in English-speaking countries. The 15-minute sketch, acted by Freddie Frinton and May Warden, this year will be televised by every major regional public-TV channel in Germany and by a scattering of commercial networks as well.

Taipei  - Taiwan is to welcome 2009 with fireworks, prayers and the arrival of a pair of giant pandas China gave the island nation as a symbol of peace.

A spectacular fireworks display will be mounted from the top of Taipei 101, the world's tallest skyscraper, during the countdown to the New Year, the press officer Michael Liu said Friday.

Some 16,000 fireworks will be exploded, 4,000 more than last year, Liu said.

Since its opening in 2004, tens of thousands of Taiwanese have gathered around the 508-metre building to watch the New Year fireworks and enjoy all-night concerts at the foot of the skyscraper.

Frankfurt, Germany  - The head of the German division of the home products retailer, IKEA, says the company's male customers have a bad track record compared to its female clients when it comes to putting furniture together.

"Men never look at the instruction leaflet and have the most problems when assembling our furniture because they think they can do it without help," Petra Hesser told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in an interview.

Women, on the other hand, study the instructions and are methodical when it comes to getting the job done.

"A woman will neatly lay out all the screws while a man will throw them in a pile. Something always goes missing."

Bratislava  - Slovakia has partially relaxed its controversial law requiring the ending "ova" to be added to women's name on official documents.

Until now, a Slovak woman who married a German national by the name of Mueller, for example, had to list herself on all official Slovak documents as Meuellerova.

This will change conditionally in early 2009 under the new law. From then, a woman in such a situation can use the simple name, Mueller, on her driver's licence and other Slovak documents.

However, this will only be permitted if in addition to her Slovak citizenship she has citizenship in another country in which the "ova" ending is not used.